Its that time of the year when we go shopping with our mums for back to school promotions all over town. It will be winter season soon and I personally can’t wait for the cooler temperatures. Winter 2017 is all about lightness and comfort with Geox.

Hence Geox have created a kids’ collection rich with details combined with the patented technology of breathable soles. There is a shoe for every occasion: playtime, back-to-school or party time. Taking care of children’s feet is on the top of our list and making sure that their feet are snug and dry inside contributes to healthy development whatever their age.

The shoes in the Geox junior collection are all characterised by a chrome-free, anti-allergy non-toxic, removable, breathable, flexible, anti-bacterial and anti-static inner sole with memory effect.

The super light soles with cushioning effect are characterised by their lightness, flexibility, grip and durability. The special Geox patented micro-porous membrane does not allow water in. This is found inside the sole of every Geox model, creating the perfect micro-climate for feet inside the shoe.

JR Kalispera “ METAL DOTS”

These sneakers are great for trendy girls. They are available both in high-top and low-top versions, in reversed leather and suede with irregular polka dots and printed laminates with special colour block effect on the upper and foxing included.

JR Fantasy “SUPERHEROIN”

Designed for super heroines that want a touch of magic. These sneakers are available both in high-top and low-top versions in leather with details in patent leather and glitter. The real magic, however, comes in the form of applied stars and little wings that no little girl can resist.

The interchangeable inner sole has a cushioning effect for maximum comfort. Breathability and high performance levels are the name of the game. Sturdiness, grip and flexibility come before everything else.

JR Thymar “METAL GOLD & CAMOUFLAGE GLITTER”

These sneakers are made from camouflage pattern python print leather, total black leather or metallic effect gold with contrasting heel and sole in ultralight EVA for maximum comfort. These sneakers are designed for girls that follow seasonal trends.

JR Alonisso “SPORTCASUAL”

These high-top sneakers feature a blend of leather and reversed leather with a glossy printed strip and contrasting colours from the upper to the foxing. These sneakers are designed for sporty boys that like a touch of glam.

Designed for kids that want to be noticed, these sneakers are available both in high-top and low-top versions. They are made from mesh combined with technical fabric and printed textures with a glossy effect and a big star applied in relief.

The LEDs in the soles light up with each step to make running and playing even more fun!

JR Kommodor “LED LIGHT” – boy&girl

Designed for older kids that don’t want to go unnoticed, these leather sneakers feature a sole with contrasting LED lights. The colour and frequency of the lights can be modulated using a simple button concealed under the tongue. A USB socket is also provided for recharging, so you never get left in the dark.

The Geox patent applied to the Baby range ensures the most advanced technologies support the growth of little feet and provide maximum well-being and comfort. All shoes also feature easy entry, ergonomic forms and removable insoles in chrome-free leather.

Baby casual “SNAKE”

For the first steps of little girls, these sneakers in glitter mesh, reversed leather and python print metal follow all the latest trends.

Baby retrò “CASUAL”

For baby boys, lace-up or Velcro in reversed leather with a brushed “used” effect. Blues combined with browns and yellows are right on trend.

LuLu offers an ultra-modern shopping ambience by integrating all conceivable needs of the consumers under one roof. Firmly following the tagline “LuLu, where the world comes to shop”, the Group has always tried to be a one stop shop for the multi-ethnic community of the region with an international mix of products as well as staff of different nationalities. The 700,000+ shoppers who patronize LuLu daily are the true testament to the popularity of the LuLu brand.

In February 2017 Deloitte in Annual Global Retailers Report has ranked LuLu Group as the top retailer in the Middle East and 27th among the top 50 fastest growing retailers in the world. Currently, LuLu Group is operating 136 stores across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, with more new stores coming up.

Products are sourced from 21 countries including UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Brazil, apart from local sources. LuLu Central Logistics is a fully integrated logistics and warehouse management unit of LuLu. In UAE, LCL has more than 2.4 million sq. feet warehouse space to serve the needs of UAE residents.

Inspiring and smart solutions featured in the 2018 edition to help customers make room for life in the heart of their home

IKEA, the Swedish home furnishing retailer, has officially launched its highly anticipated 2018 Catalogue, packed with home furnishing products, ideas and offers inspiring people to make room for life at home. IKEA Catalogue, the most widely distributed book in the world and produced in 35 languages, is now available in the UAE.

The contents of the 2018 edition reflect a change in the way people use their living spaces in the wake of urbanisation and new technology. Through its extensive consumer research, IKEA has now identified the living room as the heart of everyday life at home across the world, where it has become a place for connecting with family and friends, celebrating special occasions and a room that is more personalised than ever before.

Vinod Jayan, Regional General Manager – IKEA UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Oman said, “The world has seen more change in the home in the last twenty years, than it has in the last 200. Urbanisation and technology have reformed our lives and our homes, creating a huge opportunity to redefine the living room. Regardless of people’s living space, 2018 is about enabling you to make more room for the things you love in life and to help you get a few steps closer to your dream home.”

This year the catalogue demonstrates ways to improve life at home at affordable prices, meanwhile helping customers to plan their purchases with a focus on their living space. From stretching a room to be as flexible as possible to creating a living room where kids can be kids, the catalogue is packed with ideas and inspiration to be applied throughout a home.

As the living room has become the heart of the home, IKEA has paid particular attention to the sofa, launching seven more styles or ‘families’ to its existing wide range, designed with the evolution of changing lifestyles in mind. It has also launched six new sofa ‘families’ with a focus on smart storage solutions. The VIMLE family represents clever design in abundance, as sections can be added to it, changing its shape and size, therefore allowing for many different possibilities appealing to a variety of customer needs. There is an abundance of new product arrivals for customers to browse at leisure, complementing some of the core iconic products that remain strong favourites time and again.

Commenting on the catalogue format and customer experience, Vinod Jayan said, “We are always looking for ways to ensure our customer’s experience with us, even before they step through the door, is seamless. We are really excited to share our smart interior design and clever storage through our new improved printed catalogue as well as the app which is intuitive and user-friendly.”

This year the printed edition invites its owner to scribble on the spine, personalising the sentence ‘make room for…’. The app then complements the printed version keeping it fresh all through the year and contains additional video content that brings the pages to life.

True to its ethos, the 2018 edition is also full of features and content that not only provide inspiring design and solutions but also share tips and information on how to live ‘green’ – whether it’s choosing sustainable food to cook at home or buying energy-efficient products. Some of the key products that embody the IKEA ethos include the KUNGSBACKA units, its first kitchen cabinets to be made entirely from recycled plastic bottles and reclaimed industrial wood, as well as the new ODGER Chair which is made from 70% recycled plastic and 30% renewable wood.

Vinod Jayan concludes, “At IKEA we want to have a positive effect on the planet and people, and are truly passionate about it in everything we do. We hope that through the IKEA 2018 Catalogue we can educate our customers on how to do that easily at home to have a powerful effect.”

“Accept only perfection, only manufacture watches of the highest quality”. More than just a motto, this is a philosophy embedded in the DNA of Baume & Mercier since 1830. Profoundly attached to the Swiss Made label, the Maison produces all its watches in the Swiss Jura and adopts a deliberate historical approach – known as “établissage” – that has shaped its success. In contemporary language, this term refers to in-house mastery of the key stages of watch development, assembly, quality control and maintenance, and calls upon the finest watch specialists to produce its components. A pledge of quality, reliability and performance – and all at the fairest price. Close-up and personal with Baume & Mercier.

As one of the oldest Swiss watch Maisons, Baume & Mercier has been shining in the watch industry firmament for almost two centuries. Such longevity commands respect and the inevitable question comes to mind: what is the recipe behind this success? The key ingredient is undoubtedly expertise, continuously distilled with authentic passion. This perpetually enriched heritage features two other essential elements: rigorous discipline and carefully controlled movements. All enhanced with a timeless flavor.

B for Baume

The story begins in the mid-19th century in the Swiss Jura, with the creation of a family firm that developed rapidly. The two siblings Louis-Victor and Joseph-Célestin found themselves at the head of “Baume Frères” and set up a subsidiary company in London, before extending their watchmaking reach to encompass the entire British Empire. Their combined assets – notably commercial flair and rigorous industrial standards – helped spread the brand’s reputation across borders. Known for its classical watches, chronographs and grand complication models, it won a number of international prizes, particularly for the precision of its models. In the early 1920s, William Baume, representing the third generation of the watchmaking dynasty, associated with Paul Mercier in founding “Baume & Mercier” in Geneva, where the brand has its current headquarters. In this temple of luxury watchmaking, the Maison became one of the most active firms in the realm of wristwatches. Expressed through a blend of horological mastery and timeless elegance, the founders’ vision has lived on through a dedication to making high-quality watches incorporating the latest technological advances.

Epitomizing the very best

In almost 200 years, the watchword of the Baumes brothers has been scrupulously upheld and applied. One might almost imagine it echoing through the corridors of the Maison. This imperative demand for quality, matched by the fairest possible cost, is based on an historical artisan-style production method: établissage. The term carries echoes of the past, just as it should do! In the 19th century when the Baume family opened a watch dealership in the Swiss Jura, its watches were assembled from components made by specialized artisans, each dedicated to a specific part of the watch. Based on the établissage mode of operation, the Maison Baume handled the making of the finished product, and its subsequent sale. Much later, at the dawn of the 21st century, Baume & Mercier returned to its roots and set up its Ateliers Horlogers in Les Brenets, a village of its native Jura. Adopting a meticulously careful approach based on manual craftsmanship, the Maison thus revived the “Frères Baume” approach while incorporating all the assets of modern times. The “établissage 2.0” concept at Baume & Mercier – an original artisanal method applied to the modern era – is notably designed by in-house control of each stage involved in creating a watch: design, development, assembly and quality control. It also implies drawing on the know-how of the finest specialists when it comes to component production. The core of this organizational mode consists in scrupulous attention devoted to every detail, along with the patience and dexterity of passionately dedicated watchmakers with a sure, deft touch.

Swiss made, for ever and ever

Ever since its origins, Baume & Mercier has made its watches in Switzerland. In the course of its history, the quality, innovation and precision of its creations have earned it numerous distinctions, of which some have been patented. These stringent standards were rewarded in the 1920s by the “Poinçon de Genève” quality hallmark, the highest certification of watchmaking craftsmanship. The demand for quality, a full-fledged corporate philosophy at Baume & Mercier, has been a constant characteristic right from the beginning. A fervent ambassador of the ‘Swiss made’ label, the Maison designs and develops its movements in its own design studio inside its Geneva headquarters. All of them are subsequently assembled and tested in its Ateliers Horlogers in Les Brenets, in the Swiss Jura. These light-filled, perfectly equipped workshops also handle after-sales service and restoration of vintage models.

A perfectly balanced identity

In the 1960s, Baume & Mercier adopted the Greek letter “Phi” as its visual identity. Now the brand logo, this “golden number” symbolizes finely balanced proportions. It lays the foundations of the archetypal aesthetic – the traditional round watch – as well as the ‘affordable luxury’ status of Baume & Mercier. Through its collections, the Maison offers both classically understated watches as well as chronographs with various useful functions. Women’s models enjoy a special place within this sphere of quality watchmaking at an affordable price. This close attention to their needs and wishes goes back a long way: in 1869, one of the Baume brothers gave his daughter a gold pocket watch; and between 1920 and 1940, the brand offered a number of modern and inventive feminine models, some of which are now legends. Today, two lines are exclusively dedicated to them: Promesse and Linea.

C for classic, and more besides…

Firmly rooted in the Baume & Mercier values, a mixed approach appealing to both men and women also characterizes the brand’s two flagship collections: Classima and Clifton. As its name implies, Classima – inspired by a 1965 ultra-thin automatic watch with a micro-rotor – comprises elegant and classical watches. Its range of sizes, materials, Swiss made mechanical and quartz movements, features a blend of understated elegance and technical refinement. Housing Swiss mechanical movements in both men’s and women’s timepieces, the Clifton range is intended for urbanites with a taste for Fine Watchmaking. Aesthetically speaking, the collection draws inspiration from a 1950s model, the epitome of traditional and artisanal watchmaking according to Baume & Mercier. In 2017, the new Clifton Club range marks a turning point in the history of Baume & Mercier, by reinterpreting the ultimate sports watch – one that accompanies urban, active and elegant men on every occasion.

Offering luxury watches embodying the full spectrum of Swiss expertise and featuring an excellent quality-price ratio: such is the enduring mission of Baume & Mercier, and a promise duly kept.

Linda Farrow continues to push the boundaries of eyewear and collaborates with N°21 in the creation of a unique line of sunglasses. The timeless yet innovative aesthetic of N°21 blends perfectly with the luxurious craftsmanship of Linda Farrow. Inspired by the volumes and colorways found in the N°21 Spring/Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection, Linda Farrow has developed a line of three classic feminine shapes revisited in a contemporary way through innovative materials and unexpected details.

“Linda Farrow shares with N°21 an international appeal, product exclusivity and a strong ability to innovate. They work with the most cutting-edge brands and I am honored to be part of their designers’ collaborations.” – Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Creative Director & Founder N°21

“The design process with N°21 was a very natural development, focusing on the same core values as our brand: exclusivity and innovation. Their brand offers a refreshing take on the modern classics of women’s fashion, and we are very excited about this debut collaboration” – Simon Jablon, Managing Director Linda Farrow

N°21 by Linda Farrow eyewear collection, is available exclusively at GRAND OPTICS, in the Middle East.